ASEAN offers Myanmar's sidelined leaders a path back to summits, but says restrictions will stay until there is meaningful progress on its peace plan

Southeast Asian leaders agreed on Sunday to engage Myanmar's government in stages, while making its return to high-level meetings conditional on progress on a regional peace plan. Myanmar remains a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) , but its political leaders have been barred from summits and foreign ministers' meetings since October 2021. The military seized power that year, overthrowing the elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering a civil war that continues today. In a joint statement, the leaders called for "a calibrated engagement with Myanmar through a phased and progress-based approach, taking into account developments on the ground.